Antonio Sabetta, council president of Felitto, Italy, is fascinated by the community those who left Felitto for the U.S. have built in Old Forge. “Today we’re here to honor ancestors and to formalize the tie that our communities have,” he said in Italian in the council chambers of Old Forge’s borough building. His niece, Francesca Sabetta, translated. “It’s a pleasure,” he said.

That tie between Old Forge and the Italian village of Felitto will become more tangible this weekend when they officially become sister cities during the Felittese Italian Festival in Old Forge. Jeff Casella, head of the Felittese Association, says that as of a ceremony planned for Saturday, they will be recognized as Sister Cities by the governments of both Italy and the United States.